Welcome to Railtrail Tours
A family firm with an ethos of honesty and integrity. Our passion for delivering quality escorted holidays by rail at great value fares along with consistently excellent customer service has stood us in good stead for over 40 years.
Big on Quality, Small Enough to Care
01538 382323
Monday - Friday, 9am to 5pm
Enjoy a delightful combination of Switzerland and steam trains and experience amazing mountain railways, glorious lake cruises, and magnificent panoramic views. Journey on historic railways including the Brienz Rothorn Railway, Furka Steam Railway, and Brünig Steam Railway, visit the Schilthorn summit, and discover impressive glacier waterfalls plus enjoy free time to explore this beautiful region.
View Dates & Book11 days from £4669
DEPARTS
Monday 23 June 2025
Monday 11 August 2025
Monday 6 October 2025
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Explore the historic city of Basel
Enjoy a relaxing cruise on Lake Thun
Catch the funicular up the Harder Kulm for magnificent views
Indulge in coffee and cake at the Panorama Restaurant at Harder Kulm
Journey on the historic Brienz Rothorn Railway
Ride the fantastic Furka Steam Railway – the original route of the Glacier Express
Steam along the turquoise waters of Lake Brienz on the Brünig Steam Railway
Journey up to Schynige Platte through impressive forests and alpine pastures
Visit the famous Schilthorn summit – James Bond 007 Mountain
Discover impressive glacier waterfalls at Trümmelbach Falls
Explore this beautiful region on your free day with an included Bernese Oberland Pass
Also included in your Tour Fare:
10 nights’ bed & breakfast plus 7 evening meals and 1 light refreshment
Services of experienced Railtrail Tour Manager
DAY 1
Travelling by Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris, then onwards to Basel and our base for two nights, the GAIA Hotel*, where we check in and enjoy our first evening meal together.
*In October, our hotel will be the Hotel Victoria in Basel.
DAY 2
This morning, we enjoy a leisurely breakfast before our private guided tour of Basel where we will visit the best sights of the city and can admire the contrasting modern and historic architecture of this beautiful city. The evening is free for you to dine at leisure in one of the many local restaurants.
BDAY 3
After breakfast this morning, we travel by train to Thun to set sail on Lake Thun, nestled against an imposing mountain backdrop, towards Interlaken. Here, we take the funicular up to the Harder Kulm whose peak boasts magnificent views of lakes and mountains, and a lovely Panorama Restaurant where we enjoy a coffee and cake. Following our visit, we continue by local train to idyllic Grindelwald and our hotel for the next seven nights, the Hotel Kreuz & Post, where we enjoy our evening meal together.
B, LR, DDAY 4
Today, we enjoy a day of steam in wonderful mountain scenery on the Brienz Rothorn Railway, an historic steam cog railway that has climbed Rothorn Kulm (2,244m) since 1892 at incredible gradients; the thrilling ride through meadows and forests leads to spectacular mountain panoramas. Afterwards, we enjoy a leisurely cruise along Lake Brienz to Interlaken before returning by rail to Grindelwald in time for our evening meal together.
B, DDAY 5
This morning, we travel high into the spectacular mountains to Oberwald where we take a vintage train on the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway along the original route of the Glacier Express - crossing viaducts, journeying through tunnels, and past alpine meadows full of flowers. Marvel at the Rhone Glacier viewed between snow-covered mountain peaks en route to the line's terminus at Realp before returning to Grindelwald by train.
BDAY 6
After breakfast, we have the day at leisure to relax in Grindelwald or use your included Bernese Oberland Pass to explore the public transport system of this beautiful region. Most railways are covered in the pass, including the lines to Lucerne and Bern, Switzerland's handsome capital city, or maybe visit Gstaad on the Golden Pass Line or your pass will provide a discount on the Jungfrau Railway to the top of Europe.
BDay 7
Today, we transfer by rail to Interlaken and enjoy our third nostalgic steam excursion of the tour as we travel to Meiringen on the superb Brünig Steam Railway. During the return journey on the 100-year-old rolling stock, we enjoy incredible views of the turquoise waters of Lake Brienz and the surrounding mountains before returning to Grindelwald in time for our evening meal together.
B, DDAY 8
Today, another highlight awaits as we head for Wilderswil to join our train up to Schynige Platte through impressive forests and alpine pastures, with fantastic views of Lakes Thun and Brienz. On our journey, we are treated to beautiful views of the triple peaks: the Mönch, Eiger, and Jungfrau. This evening, we enjoy our evening meal together.
B, DDAY 9
Today, we experience one of the most amazing rail journeys in Switzerland as we travel by train and cable car to the summit of the Schilthorn - the 'James Bond' mountain. We have free time to visit the revolving Piz Gloria Restaurant, Bond World, 007 Walk of Fame, and the Piz Gloria View embedded in a beautiful mountain environment with views of more than 200 Alpine peaks. Following our visit, we continue to the thundering, glacier fed Trümmelbach Falls, Europe's largest subterranean waterfalls, before returning in time for our evening meal together.
B, DDAY 10
After breakfast this morning, we retrace our steps to Basel where we enjoy our final evening and farewell dinner together.
B, DDAY 11
We bid farewell to Switzerland, returning by rail to Paris, where we will join the Eurostar service to London St Pancras.
*Important Note: Whilst the arrangements for all described steam train travel are in place, we do reserve the right to make substitutions should it be deemed necessary for whatever reason.
B=Breakfast, LR=Light Refreshments, D=Dinner
HOTELS
GAIA Hotel, Basel (June & August)
Hotel Victoria, Basel (October)
Providing a relaxed atmosphere and reflecting urban culture, the Hotel Victoria is ideally located in the heart of Basel and offers an inviting Bar & Bistro serving regional dishes, classic Swiss specialties, and international cuisine. The stylish bedrooms provide a private bathroom with complimentary toiletries and a hairdryer, a flat-screen TV, ironing facilities, and free Wi-Fi.
Hotel Kreuz & Post, Grindelwald
Ideally located in the heart of the village Grindelwald, the Hotel Kreuz & Post offers Alpine charm and genuine hospitality including a Wellness & Spa, a roof terrace with views of the famous Eiger, and delicious regional and international dishes served in the panoramic dining room. The modern bedrooms provide a view of the mountains, a private bathroom with complimentary toiletries, satellite TV, and free Wi-Fi.
FARES
| From London St Pancras International: | |
| Standard Class rail travel to/from Switzerland, including Standard Eurostar | £4,669 |
| Supplement for Standard Premier Eurostar upgrade return | £200 |
| First Class rail travel to/from Switzerland, including Standard Premier Eurostar | £4,969 |
| Join & Leave at Basel | £4,209 |
| Single Traveller Supplement | £485 |
June & August Departure Supplement £210
10 nights’ bed & breakfast plus 7 evening meals and 1 light refreshment
Eurostar and rail travel to and from Switzerland in the class of your choice
All transfers, excursions & admissions as detailed
Services of experienced Railtrail Tour Manager
Below is a list of pick-up points available on this tour.
Below is a list of pick-up points available on this tour.
| Name | Address |
|---|---|
| Tour Base | Tour Base (Join & Leave at Hotel) |
| London St Pancras Int | London St Pancras Int (LNE) |
| From Price | Book Now | Call Back | Telephone | Favourites |
|---|
It is not possible to display any suggested tours because JavaScript is disabled in your web browser.
This website uses cookies to store information. By continuing to browse the website without changing your settings you are agreeing to their use. For more information view our cookie policy.
